The present invention relates to a cleaning apparatus for textile machines or the like, and includes track means disposed above and alongside a row of different types of textile machines, with the cleaning apparatus running on the track means and including suction and/or blowing hoses that extend to the side of the textile machines, whereby when passing from one type of machine to another, a lower hose portion is movable relative to an upper hose portion in a direction transverse to the direction of movement of the cleaning apparatus.
Such cleaning apparatus are conventionally mounted on track means above the textile machines and are movable along a row of such machines, with the cleaning apparatus serving to keep the textile machines clean via appropriate blowing and suction hoses. In conformity with the rail means that are provided, a number of textile machines can be passed "in a single operation", which offers an economical possibility for cleaning the textile machines.
For the purpose of providing an integrated manufacture, more and more frequently different types of textile machines are disposed in a single room, possibly closely adjacent one another. Accordingly, for example, ring spinning frames and winding frames are then disposed next to one another and should be cleaned with the same cleaning apparatus. For this purpose, a number of approaches have been proposed in order to achieve an adaptation of the position of the blowing and suction hoses to the different cleaning requirements of the different textile machines, in each case as a function of the textile machine that the cleaning apparatus will pass.
For example, it is known to roll up or raise a blowing hose when an obstacle is encountered, although in such a case the cleaning effect of the blowing and suction hoses are then essentially discontinued.
Pursuant to a further proposal, the hoses are mounted about a swivel joint that has a vertical axis of rotation, via which a pivoting is to be produced that at the same time allows an adaptation of width.
However, this approach has various drawbacks: For one thing the jet is always pivoted along during the pivoting movement, so that it is no longer possible to ensure an alignment relative to the textile machine. On the other hand, it has been shown that the movable hoses are especially inclined during a rotational movement toward centrifugal and swinging movements due to the centrifugal force; these movements can even be dangerous for the environment of the blowing hose, and in every case reduces the service life of the blowing hose.
Stronger material was therefore used for the hoses in order to keep the extent of damage as low as possible.
However, when stronger and hence heavier hoses are used, the centrifugal forces become greater, so that the bearings in the pivot joints must be correspondingly strengthened in order to absorb both the axial as well as the radial stresses.
It is furthermore known with these pivot joint hoses to ensure the position of the jets or suction nozzles of the hoses that face the textile machines by having special devices to compensate for the rotation of the hose and thereby hopefully keep the jets in position.
However, this approach is, on the one hand, expensive. In addition, this approach is very susceptible to problems since it is precisely in the region of the suction nozzles that dust can settle very easily in the pivot bearing gap for the respective suction nozzle, so that the turning device for the suction nozzle becomes stuck.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a cleaning apparatus of the aforementioned general type for textile machines or like that permits an adaptation to different types of machines that must be travelled past one after the other, but which operates in a more reliable manner can be adapted in a more flexible manner, and yet requires very little structural expense.